1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape device having a structure for removing dust and the like adhering to a tape surface. The tape device of the present invention means a servo writer for writing servo signals, a tape drive for reading and writing information signals.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a tape device of, for example, a servo writer has removed dust and the like adhering to a tape surface by providing a cleaning structure on the upstream side of a writing head in the tape running direction in order to avoid the dropout of a servo signal in writing the servo signals. As a cleaning structure of this kind, the type that removes dust and the like on the tape surface by wiping off with a cleaning tape (e.g., Patent Documents 1 and 2) is well known. Moreover, a cleaning structure in the other type of scraping off dust and the like on the tape surface by an edge portion of a groove formed on the peripheral surface of a round rod-shaped tape guide (e.g., Patent Document 3) is also known. Further, a cleaning structure in the other type of scraping off dust on the tape surface by a blade and removing the dust on the tape surface by suction with a vacuum pressure (e.g., Patent Documents 4 and 5) is known.
Patent Document 1: JP 2001-167493 A (paragraph 0002, FIG. 10)
Patent Document 2: JP UM H02-135994 A (page 4, lines 3 to 12, FIG. 2)
Patent Document 3: JP H09-213054 A (paragraph 0011, FIG. 1)
Patent Document 4: JP H07-78448 A (paragraph 0022, FIG. 1)
Patent Document 5: JP H04-3382 A (page 2, lines 9 to 20 in upper-right column, FIG. 3)